William graduated from the University of Edinburgh, UK, in 2006 with a Master's Degree in Classics and Medieval History. After graduating, he trained to become an English language specialist before taking on a position in Spain, where as well as gaining experience teaching a wide range of ages and levels, he also met his future wife in a Spanish class. Following her back to her hometown of Shanghai William worked at a well-respected Chinese university for over three years, initially as an ESL teacher and later as Director of Studies.
William then decided to return to the UK so he could apply for PGCE courses, during which time he worked at a prestigious adult language school in Worcester. He completed his PGCE at Birmingham City University whilst teaching History. His three years in Birmingham gave him the opportunity to build on his experience of working with EAL students in a secondary school setting, and renewed his interest in finding ways to ensure that language was not a barrier preventing students from reaching their potential. When a position at BISS Puxi arose, William saw this as a chance to return to Shanghai and work at one of the top schools in Asia, and a fantastic opportunity for his young daughter, Alicia, to grow up in an international environment.
William is married to Katharine with whom he enjoys spending time exploring Shanghai. He has a keen interest in History and hopes to both expand his own knowledge of Chinese history and to explore ways to get students involved in discovering Shanghai’s past.